UNSW Science offers highly competitive summer research scholarships to currently enrolled undergraduate students who are considering postgraduate research in the future. Aviation and the Transport and Road Safety (TARS) research school are thrilled to be able to offer some possible research projects for those interested in applying for the research scholarship.

Applications for the 2015-16 summer close on September 19.

For more information on the Summer Vacation Research Scholarships click here.

Below are a list of possible research projects with the School of Aviation and TARS.

Research Topics

Crew Enterprise Bargains and its Impact on ProductivitySupervisor: Dr. Cheng-Lung Wu Email: C.L.Wu@unsw.edu.auMany firms believe that enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) cost Australia productivity and competitiveness in the international market. This project aims to model the technical complexity of EBAs and options to maintain cost and lift productivity. This project is significant because it affect millions of working Australians, labour productivity and our future economy growth. Airline crewing is used as a study context and innovative mathematical models are used to model how EBAs could be adjusted to lift crew productivity and maintain costs. Expected outcomes may change how EBAs are negotiated in industries with scientific guidance on lifting productivity, controlling costs and sustaining economy growth.

Airborne Remote SensingSupervisor: Prof Jason MiddletonEmail: j.middleton@unsw.edu.auThe School of Aviation operates a Piper Seminole in support of a package of airborne instrumentation. The instrumentation includes a RIEGL VQ 480i , a Brandywine Compact Hyperspectral Airborne Imager and associated GNSS/Inertial Motion Unit for geo-rectifcation of data. This project concerns assessing data quality and analysing data in support of projects associated with vegetation mapping and beach erosion. Some expertise or experience in data processing and analysis of large data sets would be useful.

Elasticity of tourism travel to AUDSupervisor: David TanEmail: david.tan@unsw.edu.auTourism flows bring in billions of dollars to the Australian economy on an annual basis, though they are highly susceptible to seasonal fluctuations and changes in the exchange rate. Australia holds a portfolio of tourism flows from various countries, all of whom have unique demographics and characteristics. A better understanding of tourists of different markets sensitivity to fluctuations in the AUD will allow Australia to better understand the expected changes in tourist composition and volatility in tourist flows.

Airline hedging and market valueSupervisor: David TanEmail: david.tan@unsw.edu.auDo investors care about airline hedging behavior? Traditional finance theory states that hedging is a financial transaction that has zero expected return. However, given the thin operating margins of airlines, volatility in fuel costs poses a threat to shareholder returns. This project analyses the changes in market value that can be attributed to changes in hedging behavior whilst controlling for multiple airline- and regional-specific factors. The use of advanced econometrics/statistical techniques is involved.

Cycling accidents in older AustraliansSupervisor: Dr Soufiane Boufous.Email: Soufiane@unsw.edu.auCycling is increasingly popular among older Australians who enjoy its many health and social benefits. However, the number of older cyclists who die or get seriously injured in cycling accidents is rising significantly. This study is an in depth investigation of the circumstances and outcomes of accidents in older cyclists by analysing hospital and coroners’ data over a 15 year period between 2000 and 2014. The results of this exciting study will contribute to the development of appropriate prevention strategies that will make cycling safer and enjoyable for older Australians.